Vast marine conservation reserve, bigger than P.E.I., to protect B.C. central coast

An enormous national marine conservation reserve is being established on British Columbia’s central coast, spanning an area larger than Prince Edward Island.

The protected area, named Mia-yaltwa Ha’lidzogm hoon, is the result of an agreement between six coastal First Nations and the provincial and federal governments.

An official says the area is around 6700 sq. km and will be operated by Parks Canada along with its Indigenous and federal partners.

The reserve is within the Great Bear Sea, a diverse marine ecosystem that covers more than half of B.C.’s coast and includes glass sponge reefs, salmon, killer whales and migrating humpbacks.

Though its boundaries aren’t finalized, a Parks Canada representative said the marine reserve spans from near Gil Island in the north, to Calvert Island in the south, extending inland as far as Bella Coola.

The six Indigenous partners — the Wuikinuxv, Nuxalk, Kitasoo Xai’xais, Heiltsuk, Gitxaała and Gitga’at Nations — declared the area an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, which affords them a key role in stewarding conservation efforts through Indigenous governance.

The area’s name means “realm of the salmon, home of the salmon.”

Natalie Ban, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Victoria whose expertise includes marine protected areas, said the agreement is great news for the ocean and marine life within it.

She said the massive area includes deep coastal fiords, dense kelp beds, rocky reefs and mysterious deepsea habitats.

Juvenile salmon hatch in the region’s estuaries, herring spawn in its streams and fin whales and sea lions scour for the fish along the coast.

“There’s some really rich diversity of species that are super important,” Ban said.

The federal government says marine conservation reserves are distinct because they fall within areas that are subject to Indigenous land claims, and their status could change depending on the outcome of those claims.

Its establishment will become official under the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act, a process that is expected to take several years.

“Establishing this protected area will help marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and culturally important values to flourish,” says a news release issued Friday from Parks Canada, the Fisheries Department and the First Nations partners.

“It will also support Indigenous and coastal communities, as well as the many marine sectors, including fisheries, that depend on a healthy ocean.”

The Fisheries Department will continue to manage and enforce regulations in the area.

The next step of the agreement is the creation of a collective management board and a zoning plan that sets out what activities are allowed to occur in the area, with the intent of allowing fishing and tourism to continue.

A federal official said all fisheries with the exception of bottom trawling may continue in the area.

Ban said the collaborators must balance protecting marine ecosystems with those who depend on fishing and ocean tourism for their livelihoods.

The agreement signals a recognition of Indigenous authority in governing the lands and waters of their traditional territories, she said.

The six First Nations each pointed to their histories of marine stewardship and the importance of that responsibility within their communities.

“For many years, we have watched our oolichan disappear and our salmon stocks diminish. It is our responsibility to care for this land, as it cares for us, and to support it in a way that enables it to flourish and thrive,” Chief Marlou Shaw of Wuikinuxv Nation said in Friday’s news release.

The conservation area becomes the sixth of its kind in Canada and the second in B.C. after the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, which covers around 1,500 sq. km of land.

Ban pointed to Gwaii Haanas as an example of what success could look like for Mia-yaltwa Ha’lidzogm hoon.

“That has protected those ecosystems and created quite a sustainable ecotourism industry and made it an internationally known destination for people wanting to see this special place,” she said.

Federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin said in the release that the conservation area is part of the government’s goal to conserve 30 per cent of Canada’s marine and coastal waters by 2030.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2026.

Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press